West News Wire: The Iranian Army has presented “Oqab 44” (Eagle 44), its first underground air force facility, which can accept and control a variety of fighter jets, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Air Force.
Tuesday saw visits from the chief commander of the Iranian Army, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, and the chairman of the chiefs of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Baqeri.
The sizable underground base will also be able to accept and use the new Air Force fighters for operational purposes.
This is the Iranian Army’s first publicly known underground aviation base. Regarding further Army underground bases, nothing new has been disclosed.
The Iranian Armed Forces have constructed underground bases over the recent decades. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has built the first ever underground base or city to protect its missile units.
It said the base is dug in the mountains to protect it from ammunition dropped from US strategic bombers that are capable of penetrating defences.
The unveiling comes less than two weeks after the US and Israel held their largest-ever joint drill, using thousands of troops and dozens of aircraft in addition to naval vessels and artillery systems in what was widely seen as a message to Iran amid rising tensions.
